Portside

Government spying is a problem for everyone. But people of color, religious minorities, and political dissidents are far more likely to be victims of unwarranted monitoring.

Private creditors have replaced the public sector as lead borrower to developing countries, which has contributed to a new borrowing and lending boom.

Now that the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia has ended with Hillary Clinton as the party’s nominee, Bernie Sanders’ campaign for “political revolution” moves to its next phase.

Under the guise of increased transparency, the administration has revealed partial information about its targeted killing program. But much remains classified. And what we do know does not comply with the law.

There is a reason why 70 percent of black teenagers, like those who died in Shreveport, and 60 percent of Hispanic teenagers can’t swim. But it isn’t due to some genetic disorder, as some actually believe. It is because of abject irrational racism and Jim Crow and its vestiges.

Worldwide, 90 percent of domestic workers—the vast majority of whom are women—do not have access to any kind of social security coverage, according to the International Labour Organization. In the United States, an estimated 95 percent of domestic workers are female, foreign born and/ or persons of color. They frequently lack protections and face near constant adversity.

"Reproductive justice is my world view and my outlook," says Dr. Willie Parker, who left a successful career in obstetrics to provide abortions to mostly low-income women of color in the Deep South.

The basic approach undertaken in this country for the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel needs to be fundamentally revamped. Instead of waiting for problems to arise, the NRC and the Energy Department need to develop a transparent and comprehensive road map identifying the key elements of—and especially the unknowns associated with—interim storage, transportation, repackaging, and final disposal of all nuclear fuel.

The subtle mechanics of densely packed cells may help explain why some cancerous tumors stay put while others break off and spread through the body.

The US imprisons more women, both per capita and in absolute numbers, than any other country. As shocking as the statistics are, they don’t reflect the uniquely horrible circumstances many incarcerated women faced before their convictions. And, according to a report released Wednesday, women are also the fastest growing demographic in our jails, where people are booked and held pending trial, greatly exacerbating the societal disadvantages these women already face.